Your vagina is a sacred temple and while it can take a good beating (most of the time), it’s still your most sensitive area and needs to be handled with care. While there are plenty of things that can go in your vagina, we have a list of seven things that should never go anywhere near your vagina; and we’re going to count down these items and tell you why they shouldn’t go in your temple starting with the more obvious things and ending with something that might actually surprise you.
1. Icy Hot
While Icy Hot might seem like it would feel good on the vagina as a lubricant, think about when you put Icy Hot on your back when it’s sore and it’s nearly impossible to get off. Once you place Icy Hot on your vagina it’s going to burn and even though you’re regretting the decision you made, there’s really no good way to get it off.
2. Anything That’s Been in Your Backdoor
Remember that anything that’s been in your backdoor, or anyone else’s backdoor, has to be cleaned before it can go back in your vagina. Taking toys, dicks, or anything else straight from the butt to the front without cleaning them can lead to you having an ugly bacterial infection. It can go from backdoor to front door as long as you clean it in between!
3. Food
Please don’t ever shove a strawberry or whipped cream in your vagina so it “tastes better” for your partner. Putting foods in your vagina can change the natural pH levels in your vagina and you run the risk of food getting stuck in your vagina because it wasn’t made to go in there. Natural sugars found in many foods can also pose the threat of a yeast infection, and that’s never fun.
4. Vaseline and Lotions
Vaseline is great for chapped lips and dry skin, but using vaseline as a lubricant may increase your risk of infection. Healthline.com says women who put petroleum jelly in their vaginas are 2.2% more likely to test positive for bacterial vaginosis. While your Bath & Bodyworks lotions are soft on dry skin and smell amazing, they can also increase your risk of infection. When it comes to lubrication, just stick to the lubes that were made for your most intimate areas.
5. DIY Sex Toys
Bananas, hairbrush handles, beer bottles, a cucumber …they are the perfect shape to fit right up inside you but they’re definitely not going to be kind to your vagina. The bananas and cucumbers have been at the grocery store with who knows how many different hands touching them, and the hairbrush has been on your sink collecting dust. When you put all this dust and stranger germs inside your vagina, you’re increasing your risk for infection. Not to mention, these items were not made to go into your vagina and could tear or scrape the inside of you, leaving you with a hella lotta pain until it heals. Instead, buy a sex toy that was specifically designed for your pleasure.
6. Douches
Although douches are “made” to clean your vagina, they can do more harm than good. A good vagina has both good and bad bacteria and when you use a douche, it removes the bad bacteria but also removes the good bacteria too. Your vagina is self-cleaning, so if you’re experiencing any itching, pain or smell foul odors coming from it, consult your OB-GYN. When it comes to cleaning your intimate areas, wash the vulva and outside with soap and water but leave the inside of it alone.
